A homeowner in the Mainline Philadelphia area was doing a home renovation. As part of the project, they wanted a Juliet balcony to add architectural interest, as well as functionality to an exterior space they wanted to utilize. The client wanted a wrought iron look alike balcony railing.
So, at the initial design meeting we brought up the possibility of using aircraft-grade aluminum material yet attaining that visual goal. The material when finished with a matte black powder-coat, the Juliet balcony is completely indistinguishable from a traditional wrought iron balcony. Another benefit is that this material provides basically the same structural rigidity, while reducing the overall weight by 50-60%. The benefit of the balcony being lighter is that it made it significantly easier to securely attach it to the outside of the house.
We suggested that the Juliet balcony floor structure be created in a 4” aircraft-grade aluminum channel. We constructed the balcony flooring in ½” X 1 ½” flat bars with a ½” space between them. Then, we designed the Juliet balcony railing posts in a 1 ½” square with pickets 9/16” square and the added visual beauty of twisted pickets and double knuckles. The caprail was a beautiful, molded profile with 1 ½” X ½” bar channel underneath and at bottom of pickets as well.
We designed the Juliet balcony project to a predetermined dimension. Then upon sign off from the client, we built the Juliet balcony. Next, we did all the pretreatment, and applied the eco-friendly powder-coat finish. Not only does the powder-coat finish emit no VOC’s into the atmosphere, but it is also 99.99% reclaimable.
The entire design creation and finish process of this Juliet balcony was done while the home renovation was taking place. Then, when the project was completed, the contractor showed up with his roofers buggy to transport it to the jobsite. The contractor was able to hoist the Juliet balcony into place and attach it to the house structure. This Juliet balcony now adds great architectural detail to this mainline Philly home.
